


the stars are falling

by taeyeons



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking, high school musical au but not rly, k not rly angst but!, mentioned seongwu/chungha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 22:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14223591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taeyeons/pseuds/taeyeons
Summary: It starts at a new year’s eve party.





	the stars are falling

**Author's Note:**

> written for starry nights spring round!! it’s still spring so this is valid i guess. it’s heavily unbeta’d and it’s also 4 in the morning so... hope you enjoy this!! :^)
> 
> oh and one last thing: tw for underage drinking i’m s orry

The cheers of victory still ring loudly in his ears and he bites the smile back, the swell of happiness filling him up from within. It echoes in his head, wraps around his body and Daniel can’t stop thinking of the grin he caught on _his_ face when he turned to find that one _pretty face_ in the bleachers and–

“Well, you look like shit.”

A loud snicker erupts out of Seongwu and Daniel turns mid-way changing to glare at Seongwu. The latter merely shrugs shamelessly, trying to muffle the obvious laughter but failing to do so at the same time.

Then, Daniel flits his gaze towards the boy leaning against the door with his arms crossed and a steady gaze. There’s not a single expression of school spirit on him; whilst others ran with the school colours (navy and gold) splashed somewhere on their outfit in hopes of good luck and cheering spirits for the basketball team. Daniel can bet that when he steps out of the locker room with the boys, he’d see his teammates overwhelmed with their personal cheerleaders (their partners and friends) donned in the signature navy and gold.

Daniel muses silently to himself, _Park Jihoon doesn’t do cheerleading._

“Thanks, Jihoonie!” Daniel replies, sarcasm dripping in his words, the pet name rolling off his tongue naturally.

He sees Jihoon scrunching up his nose and he chuckles at the sight before turning around to properly take his jersey off, the stink of his perspiration hitting him in the face headfirst. He catches a glance of himself in the mirror and Jihoon’s right, Daniel _does_ look like shit. His face is flushed, beads of perspiration still running down his temples. There’s dirt on his cheek (Daniel wishes to know how and why) and dark circles ringing around his eyes from all the sleep he has been missing on for the big match.

Daniel grabs his towel, a bag of his toiletries (number one rule: never share toiletries with your teammates even if they’re bros) and his clean clothes to change into from the locker. He bumps his shoulder against the locker to shut it closed, the click ringing into his ears satisfyingly.

“Woojin isn’t here,” Seongwu says, his back facing Jihoon.

Daniel watches the way Jihoon’s expression neutralises to reveal nothing within. His eyes flit towards something clutched in Jihoon’s hand and he practically screeches, bouncing over to Jihoon, surprising the latter.

“You got me jellies!” Daniel makes a grab for it but Jihoon is too quick for his own good, holding the bag behind his back and putting up a strong front against Daniel’s excitement.

“I did and no, Seongwu, I’m not looking for Woojin,” Jihoon clarifies.

Daniel eyes Jihoon closely, pouting. “You do know that I’m way bigger than you and I can tackle you down.”

Jihoon stares back, “That doesn’t mean you _will_.” And his smirk is too knowing, Daniel feels attacked somehow as he backs away from the latter. The smirk widens, further proving Jihoon’s point.

“You two are disgusting me with your foreplay.”

Daniel turns around, sputtering _“Wh-what?”_ as Jihoon snorts in the background. Daniel sends a glare Seongwu’s way, hoping that his best friend has the brains to not spill anything of the sort and keeps his mouth shut. Seongwu merely shrugs, closing his locker and crossing the room in five steps.

He throws the towel over his shoulder, nodding towards the washroom, “Gotta freshen myself up for tonight’s party.” He winks at both Daniel and Jihoon to which Jihoon responds with a gagging noise. “You two coming?”

Jihoon sighs, leaning against the door lazily, “You know I hate parties.”

Seongwu faces Daniel with an expectant quirk of his eyebrows. Daniel feels the scrutinising stare he’s under and surely, Seongwu knows what he’ll say but he just wants Daniel to burn through the embarrassment of it and admit it.

“I’ll be at Jihoon’s place for the usual,” Daniel mumbles. Seongwu is grinning like the asshole he is. Daniel swears he’ll revoke the best friend title from him, screw the ten years of friendship. “Have fun though.”

“Oh you two _have fun_ ,” Seongwu cheers and waves at them before finally leaving Daniel alone with Jihoon.

“You better shower, you stink,” Jihoon says but he’s still within close proximity and Daniel would tell him to fuck off if he can’t stand the smell but his gaze flits towards those pretty eyes and the bite dies right on his tongue, the bark can’t even be heard.

Daniel sighs, snapping his gaze back to the floor where he wishes to be swallowed up and disappear.

“Woojin will be out soon. Just wait outside by the trophy room.”

Woojin is one of the team’s best players, a notable junior that Daniel would recommend to the coach for captain when the seniors leave (but don’t tell Woojin Daniel said that) and also, Jihoon’s best friend. The two are practically stuck at the hip and despite being in a different year, Jihoon would search for the latter during lunch break without fail. Everyone is used to seeing Woojin wait outside class for Jihoon.

It’s hard to not hold back on any bitter feelings when Daniel said that though he knows that nothing is going on between them.

Jihoon chuckles, “Why do you think I’m here for him and not you?”

Daniel’s head jerks upwards at that and he curses himself inwardly for seeming so eager, “I’m just saying?”

Jihoon rolls his eyes, shoving Daniel away with a push towards the washroom. He walks backwards towards the exit of the locker room, calling out, “Be quick! Or you’re not getting any candy!”

Daniel softly laughs to himself as he turns around from Jihoon, clutching his toiletries in his arms. Jihoon’s words ring in his ears like one of those upbeat, musical tunes he hum when he’s bored.

 

 

 

  
The entire locker room is quiet when Daniel grabs his things to go. His hair is still wet and he would usually sneak into Seongwu’s locker to grab his hair dryer but he has someone waiting for him outside and he’s eager to leave.

Striding out of the locker room, his eyes immediately fall on a small figure standing by the trophy case, lazily scrolling through his phone with boredom etched on his face. Daniel tries to not skip over to Jihoon, taking his steps one at a time.

“Where’s Woojin?” Daniel asks once he’s within earshot.

Jihoon doesn’t look up from his phone and answers him, “He left with the rest.” He finally locks his phone with a click and flits his eyes upwards to meet Daniel’s. “All set?”

Daniel bites the inside of his cheek, struggling to restrain the urge to smile. It’s pathetic that a bubble of joy pops up in his heart at the thought of them alone for tonight, it’s pathetic that he can’t move on.

“Sure, let’s go.”

They fall back into step together, the spring air hits their bare skin welcomingly. Daniel breathes in the scent of blooming fauna and lets it sink into his bones. The chilly air of the night still makes Jihoon shiver but that’s all Daniel needs to nudge the younger closer, wrapping an arm around his waist. Jihoon doesn’t say a thing when he does so, and he revels in the satisfaction of it.

“Are you sure you wanna go back to my place?”

“Mmhm,” Daniel hums in reply, drumming his fingers against Jihoon’s sides, tapping softly along the fabric of his pale mustard sweatshirt. Daniel used to make fun of how Jihoon stands out amongst the theatre kids with his odd fashion choices. “Why, what’s up?”

“Don’t you want to be with the team?”

Daniel turns to face Jihoon but the latter is staring straight ahead, eyes fixated on the pavement. He knows that Jihoon is avoiding his gaze when he pinches his side, prompting him to look up. Daniel suppresses the urge to sigh.

“I want to be with you though,” Daniel says in a teasing voice but it’s laced with sincerity and he knows Jihoon sees through it when he looks up _finally_ in surprise. His eyes are lingering all over Daniel’s face, searching but Jihoon won’t find anything.

He’s never been able to read between the lines.

Then, Daniel tilts his head at Jihoon, tugging on his wrist and stopping in his tracks in the middle of the empty pavement. “Do you want to go to the party? You can say so.”

Daniel is merely asking because he knows the latter hates parties and it’s further proven by the way Jihoon scrunches up his nose at the mention of it. It has always been a tradition by his mother and Seongwu’s mother to throw a celebratory party after a victory game. Daniel used to attend all the time, thinking it was mandatory to celebrate a win with his teammates, chugging down beer.

Once, Jihoon actually attended one of those parties and Daniel had been so happy, revolving the whole night around him, keeping his eyes on the latter. It went fine at first; Daniel challenging Jihoon to drink a shot of vodka, Jihoon’s irises hardening at the jest and falling for it. Then, Daniel was pulled away by Minhyun because _Seongwu refused to leave the rooftop and he was too tipsy to stabilise himself_. Best friends duties, Daniel had said and rushed to the roof as Jihoon drank the night away.

It caused the biggest hangover Jihoon had ever gone through and he swore off alcohol as much as he could since then.

Daniel felt bad mostly, promising himself that he wouldn’t drag the latter to any party if he could, and he was tired of the shenanigans anyway. He joined these parties for the alcohol and pretty much, nothing else. He slowly figured that he could do the same when he plays video games with Jihoon.

“I know I’ve never said anything before but that night wasn’t your fault. You don’t have to make me feel better by being with me. You can go party with your team,” Jihoon says, his gaze immediately falls to the tips of his sneakers, toeing at the concreted pavement. “I know your mom would like that too.”

Daniel furrows his eyebrows at the tone of uncertainty. His thumb rubs against the inside of Jihoon’s wrist gently in slow circles. Jihoon looks utterly small right now with the crown of his head exposed to Daniel, the apples of his cheeks reddened from the chilly air and his hunched shoulders. Daniel wants to ease the tension in Jihoon’s shoulders, wants to push the uncertainty away, wants to reassure the younger that really, Daniel doesn’t care about celebrating his team’s victory when he has Jihoon to be with and that, to him, is _enough_ as a rewarding celebration after.

But no, that’s too much, Daniel thinks.

He taps once against Jihoon’s soft skin, feeling the pulse beating underneath. “You’re ridiculous if you think I rather be with my stinky mates than with you.”

Jihoon widens his eyes in surprise, “Why not?”

“Eh…” Daniel shrugs. “They can’t play a mean game of overwatch.”

“You’re a nerd,” Jihoon says and Daniel can see the lightest tinge of pink on his cheeks. “But I’m glad because I can’t wait to beat your ass at it again.”

The night is then filled with Daniel’s protests and Jihoon’s laughter echoing through the air. And that’s exactly how Daniel likes to spend his night after every match; with a Park Jihoon, warmth, a game to keep their minds off real life.

 

 

 

  
It was Jisung’s last party before he left for Australia to continue his studies at a prestigious law school. Daniel had jested then, that Jisung was abandoning all of them to proper in a foreign country. Jisung had scowled right there and then, proceeding to chide Daniel sternly, _“You better behave yourself. No more chasing girls in year 2!”_

Seongwu cackled at Jisung’s warning, “You know that he’s hopeless.”

Daniel cut his gaze to his best friend and socked a punch in his ribs playfully before smiling sweetly at the winces that follow after.

Sungwoon clapped his hands in delight at the news and declared to hold a party for the elder before he leaves, stating that the timing was perfect, new year’s eve was around the corner, _let’s just toast to Jisung’s good life in Australia and a new year!_ Daniel scoffed because this was typical of Sungwoon, making excuses to just throw a party and drink beer and ogle at girls before passing out eventually. And then, repeat.

Jisung, however to Daniel’s surprise, agreed and took charge of the guest list (though everyone knew that it’d be out of control at some point, anyone could barge in and join them and leave). Sungwoon jumped upon Jisung’s back, kissing his cheek in the process just as the elder slapped his face away not before Daniel noticed the reddened tips of his ears.

The party only properly started around ten in the evening with Sungwoon doing body shots on Minhyun. Daniel wasn’t sure how Sungwoon managed to get the boy to lie down half naked with shot glasses lining his torso but it was quite a scene that got everyone snapping pictures and recording videos. Seongwu started screaming in a fake high-pitched voice and whistling at the two and that was Daniel’s cue to leave.

He begun walking lazily towards the living room, nodding at some schoolmates as a form of greeting. A girl, probably one of those cheerleaders that Seongwu had been trying to court, brushed past Daniel, bumping into his shoulder. He was startled, almost losing his grip on the cup in his hand. As he turned around to ask her to _watch it_ , Daniel got distracted by something else entirely, the words dying on the tip of his tongue.

That was when Daniel first laid his eyes on Jihoon.

He had his arms folded, leaning against the pillar by the kitchen, eyes lazily sweeping over the room in little interest. There was a red cup in his hand and he lifted it to take a sip before scrunching his nose in disgust. He stood out in the crowd particularly to Daniel as he was the only one uninterested in the wild ambience of the party and that called out to him, pushed him forward to say something.

Curiosity bubbled in Daniel and he strode over, nearing the smaller boy. From a closer proximity, Daniel could see the pretty line of eyelashes framing his wide eyes, the soft plumpness of his cheeks, the pucker of his small mouth. Something rose in Daniel’s throat, making him halt for a second, lingering around the corner. He questioned himself for the hesitance, questioned himself for even distracting himself, questioned himself _why is he trying to talk to a stranger, a pretty boy at a party?_

But Jihoon caught him red-handed.

“Oh hey,” Jihoon said to him, like he had known the latter for years, casually greeting him at a party rather than a meeting for the first time. “You’re Kang Daniel, right?”

His voice ran chills down Daniel’s back, soft yet gritty at the edges, like a cup of mocha at the end of the day.

“How did you know?”

Jihoon chuckled, “Who wouldn’t know you?”

He jerked his chin in a certain direction and Daniel followed the line of direction, his gaze falling on Jisung trying to balance two guys, one on each side. The three of them looked equally hammered as the other.

“Jisung told me all about you.”

“Then,” Daniel returned his gaze back to Jihoon, tilting his head. His voice is drawling, _teasing_. “How about _you_?”

“What about me?”

His voice was almost drowned out by Sungwoon screaming from Minhyun’s back, _“HEY THERE’S FIVE MINUTES TILL NEW YEARS!”_ but Daniel had his ears perked and he caught the missing syllables on the movement of Jihoon’s lips. Jihoon’s eyebrows were drawn together in puzzlement at the question, Daniel chuckled silently to himself.

Daniel leaned closer, his lips hovering over the shell of Jihoon’s ear. The confidence swelled in him. “What’s your name, pretty one?”

Jihoon didn’t falter a single bit. Instead, he leaned back, watching Daniel closely. A hint of a smirk sat on his lips and Daniel was falling and falling into the million stars hidden within Jihoon’s eyes. He wasn’t fazed at all, chuckling at Daniel before letting his voice drown out all the noise in Daniel’s head.

“I’m Park Jihoon, _your worst nightmare_.”

 

 

 

  
“Hello? Earth to Daniel? Kang Daniel?”

“Wh– _what the fuck?_ ”

Seongwu wears a cheeky smile as he backs away from Daniel, clutching the book tightly in his hand, the one he had used to hit Daniel’s head to wake him up from his daydream. If Daniel wasn’t too afraid of jail time, he’d be kicking Seongwu out of the window right this instant. He glares at Seongwu as he slowly raises his head up, his hand leaning across the table to pinch at the tiniest bit of skin on Seongwu’s arm.

Seongwu screeches, then he remembers that he’s in a library and lowers it down to a hiss but the attempt is useless. Daniel finds a dark shadow casting over them and he looks up to see the librarian glowering over them with an angry sneer on her face. It’s all Seongwu’s fault, Daniel wants to say in defence, but those words die on his tongue as the librarian pulls on both Daniel and Seongwu’s collars to drag them out.

Daniel ducks his head but he still hears the snickers from the other students and it takes everything in him to not kill Seongwu right there and then.

“This is all your fault,” Seongwu has the nerve to accuse him with a finger jerking in his direction as they make their way out of the library with heaviness in their footsteps. “If you didn’t fucking make me scream–”

Daniel tunes out at this point and focuses on the failing grade he has for physics and how he needs it in order to get that scholarship his father – he wants. He clutches the physics textbook in his hand and sighs, slumping as he walks across the empty hallway. Daniel might as well surrender to the gods of physics and let fate decide what’s best for him. It’s been two weeks and he hasn’t made any progress on his understanding of the science subject. Daniel tried to plead on his knees before Jihoon for the latter to tutor him but Jihoon stated that 1. tutoring Daniel would be like teaching a puppy how to stay still and 2. he had drama club to deal with so he was unable to help either way.

Failure rings in his ears and he lets Seongwu yaps his mouth away endlessly behind him, catching words like “ _Minhyun will kill me”, “I need that B for Math!”_ and the infamous _“Fuck you Kang.”_

His phone vibrates in the back pocket of his jeans and Daniel lazily reaches for it, fishing it out to see a blinking message notification from Jihoon. That alerts him instantly and he stops in his tracks in the middle of the corridor, causing Seongwu to walk right into him, his back hitting Seongwu’s nose.

A string of profanities hit the back of Daniel’s head but Daniel is more fixated on the messages, a subconscious smile creeping onto his face.

But when Daniel reads the message properly after unlocking his phone, the smile falls.

_Jihoonie_  
[4:02pm]  
 _Where r u sitting in the library??_

_I’ll join yall after drama club_

_Daniel_  
[4:10pm]  
 _Uhh…_  
Seongwugotuskickedout  
Sorry

_Jihoonie_  
[4:11pm]  
 _ure hopeless_

_Hopelessly in love with you_ , Daniel bites his lip and shakes his head, laughing the ridiculous thought away.

“What are you grinning at, you ass?” Seongwu interjects and shoves himself into Daniel’s personal space, taking a sneak peek at Daniel’s phone. The curiosity on his face disappears and an odd expression masks his features as he looks up at Daniel after reading the messages between him and Jihoon.

“What.”

“Have you asked Jihoon?”

“Asked him what?” Daniel repeats the question, clueless and still beaming at his phone screen. There’s an ache within him to see the boy right now.

_Daniel_  
[4:13pm]  
 _meet me at the courtyard  
i’ll wait for u there_

“Asked him to the dance, you fool.”

At that, Daniel freezes.

The dance is a huge deal at YMC. It doesn’t matter if you have a date or not, everyone will go. The lack of supervision is what makes it so exciting when it’s entirely handled by the school’s very own cheerleading team along with the student body president and vice president. Last year, if Daniel recalls correctly, the seniors managed to sneak in a bit of alcohol and the alumni. They even decorated the entire swimming pool and added a jacuzzi (courtesy of miss Kahi for sponsoring it).

This year, it’s said to be the last waltz and it’s a clever combination of all the clubs’ efforts in the prom. It’s even designed to be more exclusive with the ticket sale going on and all. Though, usually, Daniel would plan to just put on a white button down shirt and some tailored pants he could find in his dad’s closet but _now_ , he has _Jihoon_ to consider and–

The realisation that he has to ask sinks in deep and the panic numbs for a bit. Who is he kidding?

“It’s not like he’d say yes anyway…” Daniel mutters his thoughts out lowly but Seongwu hears it.

“Where’s the confidence, Niel!” Seongwu chides him. Daniel would throw a punch at him but he’s too exhausted to do so and it’s a waste to bruise his fist on such a face. “Are you seriously that unaware?”

“Unaware of what!”

Seongwu looks at him closely, rid of all the teasing from earlier. “Unaware of Jihoon’s feelings for you.”

“You’re delusional,” Daniel rolls his eyes. It’s not the first time that Seongwu suggests that there’s something going on between them, making Daniel all hopeful with his so-called observations of Jihoon’s feelings for him when realistically, Jihoon’s just a good friend, they’re good friends and Seongwu is a bloody idiot.

Daniel’s just weak-hearted and Seongwu knows. All too well.

Seongwu unexpectedly doesn’t argue this time and merely shrugs, “Just try asking him to prom. If he says no, then laugh it off and say that you asked him to go along with the group. If he says yes, then…”

He turns to look at Daniel, waggling his eyebrows at him. “Use protection, kids.”

Daniel lodges a punch on Seongwu’s arm but his mind whirls at his words. _That’s true_ , Daniel agrees with Seongwu silently, he’s being brainwashed he knows, but just as he tries to forget about it and move on, he realises that it is the last waltz of their high school life and he wants to have a proper dance with Jihoon on his arm, both clad in handsome suits. He wants to spoil Jihoon with a pretty corsage and be spoiled with one as well. He wants to take pretty pictures of Jihoon and have pictures taken of them together to cherish. As these desires build up, Daniel falls with the heavy revelation that he is _fucked_.

“But there is one problem.”

“What?” Daniel blinks.

Seongwu whispers, “The prom is in a month.”

“And?”

“Tickets, Daniel. The tickets.”

_Oh_ , Daniel curses again. Leave it to Seongwu to plant a seed of hope to just kick him over with cold reality.

“Give me your tickets,” Daniel demands, pulling at Seongwu’s sleeve, practically begging. “Who are you even going with? Some cheerleader? Forget it. Give it to me.”

Seongwu cackles, “Oh no, no way. I finally managed to get Chungha to go as my date, I’m not letting your little fuck up ruin my one and only chance with the school’s prettiest girl.”

“ _Help me_ ,” Daniel begs, his voice croaking. His eyes widen in an imitation of a puppy, hoping that it’d work on Seongwu (though he knows deep inside that it’s useless on the latter, being his best friend for almost a decade has made him immune).

Daniel’s phone beeps in his hand and they both look down to see the message pop up in his notifications.

_Jihoonie_  
[4:25pm]  
 _they let us off early!!!!!!  
see u soon doofus_

Seongwu squeezes Daniel’s slumped over shoulders, being the unhelpful best friend he is. “Have fun, kids.” Seongwu says with a light jesting tone. “Good luck!”

Daniel snarls at Seongwu and the latter merely laughs, backing away and leaving him all alone in the hallway, skipping away from Daniel. He stands there for a few seconds, uncertain of what to do. His mind spins with fear and possibilities and this is _it_.

Daniel trudges to the opposite end of the hallway, as fast as he could. He figures that maybe his puppy eyes look will work on the cheerleaders in charge of the tickets, maybe he’d buy them a meal or something. He types out a quick message to Jihoon and dashes over to the office with hope in his steps.

It may not work, Daniel thinks, but at least he tried.

And he can’t leave high school, with this balloon of emotions building up within him. It’s time to finally pop it and let the air out. Let Jihoon know that new year’s eve was not the end.

It was the beginning for Daniel.

 

 

 

  
“We have a new transfer student incoming and if you could please settle down, I’d appreciate i– _oh for heaven’s sake,_ Ong, enough of dribbling that basketball in my classroom!”

The ball bounced a few steps away from Miss Kwon’s heels and Seongwu merely flashed a cheeky smile at her as Daniel sniggered behind his back, throwing him a thumbs up encouragingly.

Miss Kwon rolled her eyes, directing her attention back to the classroom. “I don’t expect much from you lot but please do give him a warm welcome.”

Seongwu groaned, “It’s a boy?”

She ignored Seongwu’s comment and turned away to let the new student in. Everyone’s straining to see the new kid, it’s a small town and everyone knew everyone here so it was hard to miss a new face. There’s a buzz of curiosity in the air and Daniel strays away from it.

Daniel didn’t really bother, drumming his fingers away on the table and leaning his face against the palm of his hand, as his mind drifted to different matters at hand. His father had mentioned this morning that he had to take the car back into the shop and Daniel wondered if it was possible to redo the entire paint on the car, maybe style it in a sleek black and some des–

“Please welcome Park Jihoon as your fellow classmate!”

His hand almost slipped as the name mentioned sent a jolt to his body. Daniel whipped his head around to face the front of the classroom and he saw _him_ striding in casually, his uniform looking pristine and proper with only the tie slightly loosened to reveal an undone button. His hair was styled to the side, bangs swept across his forehead with a few musky brown strands poking into his eyes.

Stopping right at the centre, he paused to bow to Miss Kwon and then, to the class silently. As he looked up, eyes scanning the room with slight curiosity and wariness, his gaze fell on Daniel.

_Park Jihoon_ , Daniel mused to himself, the name sparking a million stars and a single memory of an unexpected new year’s eve. He tilted his head at the latter with a cocked eyebrow, withholding the gaze. Then, Daniel dragged his eyes down excruciatingly slow to pause at the cupid’s bow of Jihoon’s lips.

Tinged pink and soft, just as Daniel remembered.

Daniel focused his gaze back on Jihoon and he saw a crimson sheen lighting his cheeks up differently. It’s adorable and Daniel cursed himself for it.

What happened in new year’s eve stays in the last year.

Miss Kwon gestured to the class with a wave, “Say a few words, Jihoon.”

Jihoon cleared his throat, addressing the class as a whole, “Hello. I’m Park Jihoon…” He trailed off, unsure of what to say. “I hope we can take care of each other?” He added with uncertainty clear in his voice.

He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. Miss Kwon, however, didn’t get the memo and pursued her questioning, “So, Jihoon, I heard that you were an avid theatre actor for your previous school. I hope you can join us for the winter musical.”

Daniel perked up at that bit of information, holding back a smile at the same time. _An actor…_ Jihoon looked uncomfortable as Miss Kwon made an attempt to interest him in the drama club. No one in YMC High really paid any attention to the drama club and its theatrics as everyone else was more invested in the basketball team and the cheerleaders.

So Daniel didn’t really blame Jihoon when he plainly but subtly brushed it off, “Thanks, Miss Kwon. I’d keep that in mind.” His eyes swept across the room in a swift glance before landing on a spot near one of the students, Jaehwan. Jihoon made a vague gesture to the classroom, “If you don’t mind, I’d be taking my seat now…”

A snort escaped and Daniel bit his lip as he failed to hold it back. The small sound caught Jihoon’s attention, his gaze snapping to him at once and the amusement in his face mirrored Daniel’s. And it felt like new year’s again where they ended up ditching the party to lounge in the backyard, getting sleepy-eyed from both the alcohol and the midnight hour. Their eyes met for a few long seconds and someone clapped onto Daniel’s back, causing him to break the gaze and turning around to face the interrupter.

“Yo,” Seongwu said. “Wanna have dinner at my place? Mom’s making her special spaghetti.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Shit, I can’t,” Daniel frowned. The temptation of it did faze Daniel a bit and he really _really_ liked Seongwu’s mother’s cooking. “My dad’s in town.”

Seongwu’s face slackened in understanding, that simple sentence explained everything Seongwu needed to know and he didn’t press further, knowing all too well about the history of Daniel and his parents from his friendship with the latter for eight years. His hand cupped around Daniel’s shoulder loosened into a firm, encouraging squeeze and Daniel smiled, shrugging it off.

“If there’s any leftovers, pack it for me tomorrow, alright?”

Seongwu chuckled, “No problem, dude.” And Daniel knew that even if there wasn’t any leftovers, his mother would cook extra servings for him. It was just how sweet she was to him, the years of treating her son’s best friend like her own have proven so.

He was just about to turn around as roll call began when Seongwu pulled him back, catching his attention, “I heard that the new kid lives at Jisung’s place.”

Daniel nodded, then turned to look at Seongwu questioningly. “He was at the new year’s eve party, Ong. Did you not see him?”

Seongwu raised both of his eyebrows, clearly surprised, “I was too busy drinking shots off a cheerleader’s belly. You think I’d pay attention to some new dude at the party?”

_I did_ , Daniel thought almost defensively but kept it within because Seongwu hadn’t any idea and he’d like to keep it that way. It was typical of Seongwu to end up spending the night with one of the cheerleaders. Sometimes Daniel wondered how his notorious reputation had not repulsed any of the girls yet, they were still attracted to him like a hive of bees to a single flower.

He mocked a look of interest, “So who was the unfortunate cheerleader?”

A slap smacked against Daniel’s arm playfully and they both fell into a fit of laughter, causing Miss Kwon to hiss at both of them to  _quiet down or your coach will hear about this!_ Daniel couldn’t stop laughing so he muffled it behind his hand, eyes flitting upwards and accidentally locking gazes with Jihoon from the other end of the classroom. The boy was staring at him with a daydream-like expression on his features. His eyes widened in a jolting realisation that Daniel was indeed staring back and he schooled his features into a neutral expression.

Daniel’s laughter died down and he eased into a smile but Jihoon merely gave him a tight-lipped smile before looking away, the tips of his ears red.

_You’ve been caught, Park Jihoon._

 

 

 

  
Daniel sees Jihoon rocking back and forth on one of the bench swings situated by the rooftop garden, idly flipping through papers that Daniel assumes is his script for whatever play he’d be partaking in. He swallows the bundle of nerves threatening to rise in his throat, making his fingers quiver with fear and hope all at once.

“You’re late~” Jihoon sings from the swing and he puts the papers away, fixating on Daniel as he walks over to Jihoon and plops down next to him on the swing. “You’re heavy!” Jihoon shoves Daniel off or he _tries_ as Daniel doesn’t budge, his shoulders shaking in laughter, stubbornly sitting next to Jihoon.

The rooftop has always been their thing. Daniel had accidentally come across the unlocked latch of the door leading all the way up to the rooftop. In all honesty, he doesn’t even know if the rooftop is off bounds but there had not been any sign stating so and it has only been the two of them chilling in the breeze with no ill intentions so he figures it’s mostly _safe_.

Daniel had the idea once to bring Jihoon upstairs to clear his head from all the stress stemming from the play back in their third year. Jihoon skipped all over the garden, basking in the cool air and freedom and serenity. He swung his arms around Daniel in an embrace and kissed his cheek as a thank you then.

That’s when Daniel knew that he had been lying to himself all this while and Jihoon means something else, something more.

“Sorry,” Daniel says. “Seongwu couldn’t stop complaining about Minhyun.”

Jihoon narrows his eyes at Daniel, disbelieving. Daniel waves it away, chuckling before leaning over Jihoon’s lap to steal the papers away from him. Jihoon’s too slow and Daniel’s too tall and big for him to try to attack him so Daniel takes that to his advantage, eyes poring over the details of the papers before him.

It’s indeed a script for a play just as Daniel predicts. _The Last Waltz_ , it reads in copy of the school’s prom theme. He gulps, the envelope of the prom tickets sits heavily in the pocket of his jacket and he tries to not dwell on it. Daniel passes the script back to Jihoon, clearing his throat. Jihoon looks at him with a mix of curiosity and concern.

“The last waltz,” Daniel echoes it out. “Do you even know how to?”

Jihoon rolls his eyes, huffing out his chest, “Of course I do!” Daniel bites back the laugh threatening to escape. “What do you take me for?”

“Really,” Daniel drawls, leaning his cheek against the palm of his hand, disbelief written all over his face. An idea strikes him and he leans forward, taking in the scent of honey mixed with tangerines (the signature scent of Jihoon and he will never ever tell Daniel where it’s from). He sucks in a breath and falls. With a quirked eyebrow, Daniel challenges Jihoon, “Why won’t you show me?”

And Daniel knows Jihoon won’t back down, he _never_ backs down, hates the taste of failure on his tongue and will do anything to prove himself. It’s a fatal flaw sometimes when Daniel watches Jihoon burn his fire through the school year for the drama club alongside his schoolwork, refusing to take a breather once.

The same fire sets alight in Jihoon’s gaze and Daniel knows he’s in for it. The latter gets up, grabbing Daniel’s hand as well, taking him by surprise, pulling him upwards. Jihoon takes advantage of the surprise, inching closer to Daniel, his gaze is so intense it sets flames to Daniel’s heart. He holds in his breath as Jihoon intertwines their fingers together, directs Daniel’s hand to the curve of his waist and takes a step closer so he’s flushed against Daniel’s body.

Daniel can only wish that Jihoon doesn’t hear the rapid beat of his heart barely concealed.

He fixates his gaze on Jihoon only and notices the way his lips are pursed and the way his eyes are averted elsewhere but his hand is gripping on Daniel’s tightly like as if he’d fall if he let go.

“You’re shivering,” Daniel whispers and the air from his words blow lightly on the crown of Jihoon’s head, musky brown hair strands astray.

He feels the cold creeping onto his skin and the sun is hanging low on the horizon, casting dark shadows over Jihoon’s face, his irises lighting up in a way that Daniel has never seen before. Something clutches at his heart and he finds it hard to breathe somehow when Jihoon leans in closer, dizzying Daniel with that sweet scent of his, overpowering all his senses.

_“Dance,”_ is all Jihoon says before spinning them around on the roof.

_Where’s the music?_ Daniel wants to tease but he hears it; the light, mellow tune singing a love story of two young boys drowned in late night promises and drunken kisses. It’s bittersweet, keeps him on his toes, whirling his mind around memories that are kept hidden. Dancing always reminds him of lost dreams, past days of contemporary dance classes when his mother could afford it.

But dancing with Jihoon only makes Daniel think of how much he’s falling and how steady Jihoon’s grasp is to catch him when he slips.

They tiptoe around each other, around the blooming flowers, the breeze enveloping them in an embrace. Daniel chuckles as he notices how pink Jihoon’s cheeks are, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he takes the lead and Daniel merely follows his steps. If Daniel wasn’t so occupied, he would have pinched at the younger’s cheeks and cooed and risked getting hit.

“Spin me,” Jihoon demands and Daniel blinks, halting for a second but a click of Jihoon’s tongue against the roof of his mouth alerts him.

So Daniel spins Jihoon around, folding his arm behind his back, watching the way Jihoon gracefully spins on his two feet before falling back into Daniel’s arms.

“And that’s how you waltz, ladies and gentlemen!” Jihoon steps away from Daniel, mocking a bow to Daniel but all Daniel feels is the loss of warmth in his hold.

The nerves from earlier return, knotting around his gut tightly. Daniel’s eyes follow the way Jihoon turns his back on him to sit back down on the swing. When Jihoon looks up with a satisfied grin on his face, it falters, his eyes hold concern and the tips of his mouth turn downwards slightly in a frown.

The heaviness of the envelope sits in Daniel’s jacket like a painful reminder.

Rip it off, Daniel says as a mantra inwardly, rip it off like a bandaid and get it over with.

Jihoon’s lips part to voice his confusion, “What’s u–”

Daniel interrupts, “What do you think about going to the dance with me?”

His voice is loud and clear. It echoes through the spring air and hangs in the atmosphere between the two of them. Daniel’s gaze fixates on a spot beyond Jihoon’s shoulder, on one of those apartment buildings surrounding the school, on a snow white cloud drifting by. He feels the nerves seizing him, the tension in his muscles as his fist closes around the lost hope in the air, trying to save himself from falling.

It’s too late, however.

It feels like forever almost when Jihoon’s voice cuts through the air, “Woojin asked me.”

_Oh._

“And I don’t know but Dani– _Daniel, hey, where are you going?_ ”

“Home.” Daniel manages to say and he realises that he has somehow taken off, his feet pause at the foot of the stairs leading downwards to the fourth level of the school. His vision is blurry at the corners and he blinks away profusely, teeth sinking onto his bottom lip as harshly as he can.

Maybe he does deserve this for fooling around all this while.

“Daniel,” Jihoon says, the syllables of his name sounding entirely different and so sweet on his tongue. It’s so soft that Daniel almost turns around to face him but his fist clenches again and he remembers that he has to _leave_ or else he’ll surrender, he’ll give in and his heart won’t have a break.

“See you!” Daniel waves without turning back and dashes down the stairs, fishing his phone out in the process.

He doesn’t think, refuses to at all or else his mind will drift to Jihoon and he’d imagine the pitiful expression on his face, pity for _Daniel_. The underlying confession still echoes in his ears and Daniel wants to kick himself off a cliff at the mere stupidity. _Of course, of course, why would it be me?_ Daniel dials a number without thinking, pressing it close to his ear as he trudges down the hallway with nothing on him.

Stupid, he left his book bag at the swing. His steps stutter for a few seconds and Daniel stops, torn between running back, facing Jihoon again and just booking it home, finding new books to replace his old ones.

Of course, it’d be Woojin, why wouldn’t it be him? Daniel keeps cursing himself inwardly. One time, he lets himself be vulnerable and opens his heart to someone and this happens. This fucking happens.

“Hello?” a voice rings out from the other end of the line. Daniel scrambles to pick it up and he sighs when he recognises the voice.

_“Seongwu, help.”_

 

 

 

  
_Hopeless_ , Seongwu chides him and Daniel groans in retaliation because he had come running to his best friend not to get scolded, but to be comforted. In that moment of weakness, he had forgotten that Seongwu is incapable of loving and caring and he’s indeed despicable.

Daniel hates everyone.

“I’m calling Jisung,” Daniel huffs out, already scrolling through his list of contacts to stop at the older boy’s name. He hesitates, remembering the way Jisung treats him like a kid and he would probably scold him as well for being so darn stupid with his feelings.

Daniel figures that there’s no one in his life that he can trust, so he flops backwards on Seongwu’s bed and kicks at his bedsheets like a kid throwing a tantrum and sighs.

“You ran out before even hearing Jihoon out?” Seongwu makes a tsk noise at him. Daniel makes an attempt to throw a pillow at him but Seongwu easily dodges it, stupid fucking basketball instincts. “You’re more stupid than I thought.”

Daniel sneers at the boy, “Careful. That’s my heart being broken right there. Sorry for trying to protect it.”

“Protect from what?” Seongwu raises an eyebrow and when Daniel doesn’t answer, he laughs. “Heartbreak? Rejection?”

“No, from cat scratches.”

Seongwu ignores the sarcasm in Daniel’s tone and continues with his loveguru ted talk, “You didn’t even confess properly. How do you know what he wants?”

“Well…” Daniel mumbles. “He doesn’t want me that way.”

Seongwu crawls over to his bed where Daniel takes up almost ninety percent of the space with his long limbs and broad body. The latter doesn’t budge a single inch when Seongwu gives a shove at his shoulders. A sigh leaves his lips.

“You’re so pathetic,” Seongwu says. “Just talk to him. Tell him how you feel this time and no running away again.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Daniel grumbles but the pain subsides a little and he just feels numb mostly. His head isn’t spinning anymore and he doesn’t feel like throwing himself off a cliff anymore so that’s improvement.

Daniel just doesn’t know how to deal with emotions.

Daniel has always been out there with all of him and just one third of his heart because deep inside, a fear of vulnerability resides and he doesn’t want anyone to step all over him again and again when they see just how he truly is.

He had been eleven when his father took a step out of the family, deciding to live beyond his wife and his only child. He had been thirteen when he kissed a girl and felt nothing close to the butterflies people talked about in films and music. He had been merely sixteen when he realises that he just _likes_ people in all shapes, sexes and most importantly, _characters_.

Jihoon wasn’t the first but Daniel doesn’t think it matters when he has never wanted a second chance as much before and that counts for something.

“I’m not doing this because of your ridiculous ted talk,” Daniel clarifies but Seongwu does a whoop in the air anyway and it brings upon a smile instinctively.

All hope isn’t lost.

 

 

 

 

_Daniel_  
[8:34pm]  
 _can we talk?_

_Jihoonie_  
[8:47pm]  
 _Please_  
I have smth to say too  
playground at 9:15?

_Daniel_  
[8:48pm]  
 _see u there_

 

 

 

  
Daniel can envision his younger self running through this very playground with his spider-man backpack, making his father chase after him. He was a stubborn kid, refusing to stay still for even a second and ran out at almost every shot he could.

He’s still not very far from that little boy. Running away all the time.

It takes Daniel a week to gather his bearings and build up the courage. Meanwhile, he hides and stays ignorant to the issue at hand, diving himself headfirst into studying (not that his physics grade is improving) and basketball. Seongwu shakes his head at him in disappointment, Woojin sends a glare every once in a while (ironically) and Jisung stays in the clear like Daniel had wanted. Daniel moped around with ice cream and jellies as his true best friend ( _fuck Seongwu_ ) and the ache grew in his heart with every passing day that he didn’t talk to Jihoon.

Jihoon…

_“He misses you, by the way,”_ Jaehwan slipped to him in the middle of an English class, completely out of the blue. Daniel stared straight ahead at the board. “I know because he’d mention you sometimes and then his face gets all sad.”

Jihoon seems to be the same as before to him anyway and Daniel pinpoints him from a distance, crossing the pedestrian in a muted orange pullover and shorts. When Jihoon inches closer, Daniel can see that he has bedridden hair, dark circles under his eyes and yet, he smells exactly the same; honey and tangerines.

His eyes search the playground and falls on Daniel sitting on the bench overlooking the playground. Jihoon smiles but his eyes are drooping and Daniel feels a pang in his heart, he misses him too.

“Hey,” Jihoon greets him and Daniel nods as his way of greeting. He can’t trust himself with words now that Jihoon’s near him. He sits next to Daniel, his shoulder brushes against his. It takes everything in Daniel to not pull the younger closer into his space, to breathe Jihoon in, to go home with tangerines sticking to his skin.

Daniel has been preparing this for over a week, running through his words too many times that he can just blurt it out now. But he can’t, he can’t. The fear seizes his heart and Daniel thinks of a million reasons why Jihoon would say no, a million reasons why he doesn’t deserve the younger.

_I like you, I like you, I like you._

“I like you.”

The leaves rustle, the wind tickles Daniel’s ears, whistling. He blinks, lips parted.

“I know what you’re going to say but I’ll say it first: _I like you._ ” Jihoon whispers but it sounds so loud in Daniel’s ears that it’s all he hears amidst the nocturnal nature. It clears the fog in his mind, eases the pain in his heart.

“I like you too,” the words leave Daniel’s lips and he finally musters up the courage to turn towards Jihoon. He’s greeted by the sweetest, widest grin on Jihoon’s face, pure bliss and relief in his eyes mirroring Daniel’s.

Daniel’s blinded by the stars in Jihoon’s eyes, drawing out a thousand constellations for him to gaze upon. And he doesn’t find it boring, advances closer to Jihoon to share the warmth. The scent of honey hits him and Daniel thinks this is the closest to a second home he can get.

All hope isn’t lost and it bubbles in Daniel. He feels like his heart is going to burst right out of his chest at the way Jihoon’s gaze softens at him, the way his hand reaches out to clasp Daniel’s, the way Jihoon is _simply_ being Jihoon but this time, it’s Jihoon whom likes Daniel back.

“I know,” Jihoon chuckles. It’s such a beautiful sound. “You’re an idiot.”

“Hm?” Daniel is too busy staring at the prominent arch of Jihoon’s lips that he didn’t catch what the younger said. Those lips, in particular, stretch upwards in a contagious smile and they move to form words.

“I said, I’ll go to the dance with you.”

 

 

 

 

Jihoon is a wonder. Beautiful, and every synonym of it.

Daniel combs through Jihoon’s bangs gently, watching the way the younger stir under his touch. He halts for a second, pulls his hand away and Jihoon stills once again, mumbling in his sleep. Holding back a chuckle, Daniel merely smiles, softly cooing at him. He watches the way Jihoon’s eyelashes flutter against the apples of his cheeks so tenderly and softly. Jihoon looks utterly peaceful in his sleep and Daniel can’t resist the urge. He leans in, hovering over the younger, and plants a light kiss atop his eyelids.

“I’m still awake, y’know,” Jihoon suddenly mutters and Daniel freezes in place as the latter’s eyes flutter open. His eyes are glazed over with a hint of sleepiness and immediately sharpen at the sight of Daniel above him.

A smile slowly forms on Daniel’s lips as he leans back, his fingers still playing with Jihoon’s fringe. “I know.”

“No, you don’t.” Jihoon huffs out and it’s mock anger, Daniel knows. “You can kiss me when I’m awake too. I’m not sleeping beauty.”

Daniel raises an eyebrow, “Is that an invitation?”

Jihoon purses his lips, “I’d be upset if you don’t tak–”

Daniel cuts him off with a kiss pressed to his parted lips. Jihoon chuckles but it’s turned into a moan when Daniel licks into his mouth, sucking on his bottom lip. Daniel can never get tired of this; the way Jihoon turns into a submissive mess underneath, clutching at the front of his t-shirt and deepening the kiss with just as much ferociousness as him. He tilts his head, takes it slower as Jihoon presses insistent kisses along his jaw, his fingernails catching on a thread of Daniel’s ripped jeans.

“Your mom will hear us if we keep going,” Daniel breathes out a little too heavily against Jihoon’s neck, his forehead resting on the younger’s shoulder. And hates himself a bit for reminding both of them of what’s beyond these four walls.

Jihoon makes a noise that’s a cross between a whine and a groan, frankly Daniel doesn’t know but his mind fixates on it as the younger leans back into him, his lips hovering a little too close to the juncture of his neck and his shoulder. Daniel takes the chance to lean back into the bed, tucking Jihoon into the crook of his arm. The boy doesn’t make a complaint (Daniel’s relieved that he’s too tired to say anything), the heat of the moment is mellowed. The sexual tension in the air is now evaporated into exhaustion and he turns into his side, watching Jihoon’s eyes resting, closed.

It’s after one of those matches and Daniel’s all snuggled up next to Jihoon after a few gaming sessions that tired them out. The stars gaze at them back as they lie together, tangled in sheets, and it reminds Daniel of prom where they ran off, drunkenly giggling and falling back against each other under the blinking stars.

Daniel had pointed out with a hazy vision and a jerking finger at the night sky, _“That’s you.”_ He said with such clarity in his voice despite the shots he had taken. “My shining star.”

His fingers drum along Jihoon’s arm softly now, his eyes fixated on Jihoon’s reddened lips, his mind diving into a million thoughts but it centers on one single phrase; _I’m lucky to have you._

“Are you excited to graduate?” Jihoon asks, his eyes still closed.

Daniel stares at his boyfriend, hearing the ease in his question but his jaw is tense, his lips thin. The question hovers in the air for a few moments as Daniel sorts through the feelings he has for the year. Happiness? Relief? Sadness?

No, Daniel thinks, it’s mostly anxiety.

He hasn’t been able to say it out loud with his father breathing down his neck about a basketball scholarship, set to be the best player the nation has ever seen for his future. He hasn’t been able to properly think about it because cracking a peek into that door will unleash a whole mess of uncertainty and fear and that’s not what Daniel wants to deal with in his last year. He wants to live in the moment; the victory he had just won for the basketball team, the pride swelling in his parents right now, the boy he loves resting in his arms in utmost comfort under the night sky.

Daniel doesn’t want to think about the end when he’s just beginning.

“Are you?” Daniel repeats the question back at Jihoon.

Jihoon hums. If he noticed Daniel not answering it directly, he didn’t say a thing. “I am excited to move on but I’m not sure if I want to.”

The younger snuggles into Daniel’s side, throwing an arm around his torso loosely. Daniel raises an eyebrow but his lips ease into a smile at the sight; Jihoon looks like a baby koala. He’d kill Daniel if he ever hears that.

“Graduating high school means facing more responsibilities. I don’t want that,” Daniel settles for this answer and Jihoon chuckles at his words, reaching upwards to flick against Daniel’s nose. He scrunches his nose at the sudden flick, frowning in mock pain.

“Of course, you wouldn’t want to grow up, you overgrown child,” Jihoon chides with a light jesting tone but as Daniel stares at the latter, he sees understanding around his corners and he knows.

Daniel sighs, “I’m not sure if I want to leave just yet.” He casts a sideway glance at Jihoon before continuing, “That theatre holds a lot of memories for me...”

When Daniel sees the crimson blush painting Jihoon’s cheeks and the expression of pure abashment, he knows he’s in for it. Soon, Jihoon smacks his chest, quick and sharp that Daniel bursts into laughter, eyes stinging.

“Hey! I didn’t imply _anything_ ,” Daniel jumps in quickly to defend himself. “I could mean the musicals I participated in with you?”

Jihoon rolls his eyes, “Like as if you’d mean _that_.” He jerks an accusing finger in Daniel’s face, causing the latter to laugh again. “I know you and your dirty mouth.”

Daniel smirks, leaning in to peck on Jihoon’s lips and pulling back quickly before the younger can shove him off the bed. Jihoon’s cheeks colour again, and he’s so pretty in the shade of pink.

“You love it,” Daniel winks. Jihoon pretends to vomit, making gagging noises. Ignoring the younger, he goes on in a tone of nostalgia, “But I _do_ miss the musicals.”

“Jaehwan has been bugging me about gathering the graduating batch for the last show,” Jihoon says. He looks up at Daniel almost curiously. “Will you be up for it?”

“That depends. Will I be kissing you in the musical?”

Jihoon’s eyes widen and Daniel knows that in three seconds that he’s really going to be thrown on the floor. Soon enough, Jihoon shoves at Daniel’s chest, causing him to cackle wildly as Jihoon pouts and kicks at Daniel’s legs intertwining around his. Daniel merely tightens his hold on Jihoon and keeps him right beneath his arms. Jihoon tries to wriggle out of his grasp but Daniel’s too strong and his fight is proved fruitless as he slackens and just leans back, giving up.

“You’re hopeless, Dani,” Jihoon mumbles into his chest. “It’s a musical about reminiscing our life in high school, you fool.”

“Yeah, how about we reminisce _those times_?”

Daniel foresees the slap and it lands on his chin, missing his cheek entirely. He chuckles as Jihoon sighs loudly.

“You know I’ll go wherever you go,” Daniel says, running his fingers through Jihoon’s hair, feeling the fondness fill his insides at the way Jihoon wraps himself around Daniel. The warmth stays by his side as Jihoon closes the distance between them.

“You better,” Jihoon says in a threatening voice but he’s always all bark, painless bites. Daniel kisses his hair and Jihoon softens, “I want you to be part of it. With me.”

Daniel smiles. He’s indeed a hopeless fool.

“I will.”

Jihoon falls back with ease and Daniel cushions it. The stars hum in sync above them, the moon glints and Daniel doesn’t know how to stop loving the boy in his arms, Daniel doesn’t want to ever stop. The anxiety from earlier eases and he thinks, _everything will be okay as long as I have you by my side_ , as he stares at the crown of Jihoon’s sleepy head.

 

 

 

  
“Worst nightmare huh?” Daniel quirked an eyebrow, smirking as he advanced closer to the pretty boy – Jihoon. “Is that part of your business card?”

Jihoon laughed, and he was prettier when he laughed, eyes scrunched up in slits with a pink blush painting his cheeks. Daniel stared, transfixed for a moment, his clear laugh ringing louder than the noise of the party.

_He was fucked._

“You’re terrible at jokes,” Jihoon said, his hand rested on Daniel’s arm now.

His fingers were soft, tapping along Daniel’s skin in a soothing manner. There was warmth emanating off Jihoon and Daniel chased it, hooking two fingers around Jihoon’s small wrist to keep him close. Daniel heard Sungwoon somewhere in the background, running all over the room. Something about new years and a countdown but Daniel focused on Jihoon and his eyes that eerily resembled the starry night sky.

_Five!_

Jihoon’s eyes twinkled, “I heard it’s bad luck to not kiss somebody at midnight.”

_Four!_

“Is that so?” Daniel inched closer till their noses accidentally bumped. He chuckled at the touch, the alcohol and the scent of…tangerines? dizzying him in the process.

_Three!_

A shrug, “That’s what I heard.”

_Two!_

“Better not risk it and start the new year on a good start, I suppose?” Daniel was tumbling over his words but Jihoon was so close, so so close. His scent was overwhelming all his senses and Daniel wanted to drown in it. There was a dark glint in Jihoon’s eyes, Daniel was attracted to it.

_One!_

“Better not.”

_Happy new year!_

All the cheers of the new year were muted in Daniel’s ears as Jihoon’s mouth closes over Daniel’s in an agonisingly slow kiss, swallowing whatever Daniel was about to say and pulling out a groan instead. Daniel’s hand rested on Jihoon’s face, cupping his cheek as he tilted his head for better access. The taste of honey lingered on Daniel’s tongue and he chased for more, pressing Jihoon back against the wall whilst the younger clutched at Daniel’s shirt.

The fireworks popped, signalling a new year, new beginnings, a new start.

Daniel pulled away to inhale deeply, Jihoon’s lips were bruised red with a light sheen by yours truly. He chuckled, proud, at the sight before Jihoon let out a whine, tugging on his collar to pull him back in.

It was the beginning for them too.

 

 

 

 


End file.
